Outgoing (as in, she is both goal oriented and leaving her post) Deputy Accounts Commissioner Michele Boxley called me today with a parting word on the charter change debate.

She directed me to a national story about a town in Los Angeles Cty., California, where public officials, including a former city manager, apparently weren't too happy with their wages.

Nearly every sitting member of the city council of Bell, C.A., were arraigned on corruption charges after an investigation found they had been writing out illegal private loans with taxpayer money to the tune of over $5 million. They even took out the Mayor's door with a battering ram.

Boxley noted that she thought Bell had switched to a manager-council form of government, the same form being for by Saratoga Citizen, from another form. From what I've read, I am not certain if Bell has ever operated without a city manager.

They did however pull a fast one on voters in 2005 by not mentioning that a referendum to switch from a "general law" to a "charter city" would allow officials to sidestep then-newly enacted state law that limited the salaries of local officials. Only 400 of 40,000 registered residents voted on the measure.

I'm not entirely sure if the Bell scandal can be applied to the current charter debate here in the Spa City. What do you think?